Inauguration tickets run out, even for Congress

WASHINGTON -- Like a lot of heartbroken Democrats after the 2000 election, Rep. Earl Blumenauer had little interest in George W. Bush, so he gave most of his 200 inauguration tickets to Republican colleagues.

Eight years later, Blumenauer hoped his generosity would be returned as a Democrat prepares to take office.

No such luck.

Nobody has any tickets to spare, not even Republicans," Blumenauer said. And the squeeze is only getting worse.

Across Capitol Hill, requests are pouring in for tickets to Barack Obama's historic swearing-in on Jan. 20, an event that officials say could swell Washington's population by as much as 4 million.

More than 1,000 people have already asked Blumenauer for tickets, more than five times his allotment.

"I've literally had acquaintances from all over the country ask me for tickets," Blumenauer said.

Republicans are no different. Alabama's two Republican senators announced that they are no longer taking ticket requests because they have been deluged with inquiries.

Brian Buckner is one of those seeking tickets -- unsuccessfully so far. He teaches at Liberty High School in Hillsboro and plans to bring 35 students to Washington.

The tickets are free for people lucky enough to be selected. Those not so lucky are getting increasingly desperate and creative -- and possibly vulnerable to rip-offs. After reports of scalpers asking up to $40,000 for a pair of tickets, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced legislation making the sale of inaugural tickets a federal crime.

Feinstein's bill calls for fines of up to $100,000 and a year in jail for anyone caught and convicted of scalping inauguration tickets.

"The inauguration of the president is one of the most important rituals of our democracy," she said. "The chance to witness this event should not be bought and sold like tickets to a football game."

For Democrats, the circumstance triggers mixed feelings. They're thrilled that a president from their party has touched off such a stampede. But they are nervous, bordering on terrified, about disappointing hundreds if not thousands of loyal constituents.

Oregon's newest senator, Democrat Jeff Merkley, is one of the lawmakers feeling pressure. "Oh, my goodness. I don't know. I have no idea how we're going to handle it," he confessed recently. "We have to figure out a strategy."

Merkley is relatively lucky. New York Sen. Charles Schumer says his office has received more than 100,000 requests for his allotment of 400 tickets. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland has been swamped by 55,000 requests.

Inauguration organizers say more than 4 million people can fit on the National Mall. Nobody knows how large January's crowd will be, but there is broad agreement that it will smash the previous record. Crowd estimates are notoriously fuzzy, but the winner appears to be Lyndon Johnson's 1965 inauguration, with crowd estimates ranging from 1.2 million to 1.5 million.

The math is certainly difficult. About 240,000 tickets are allocated for the official inaugural viewing area at the foot of the Capitol. Each House office gets about 200 tickets and each Senate office gets about 400. There are no rules for how the tickets are distributed, although once given they cannot be transferred.

"I'm not sure how we're going to do that," said Rep.-elect Kurt Schrader, D-Ore. "You have any advice?"

He'd better decide fast.

The lawmaker Schrader is succeeding, Rep. Darlene Hooley, placed this notice on her Web site: "I will be retired from the United States Congress, effective at Noon on Friday, January 2, 2009. As a result, I will not have tickets to provide for the Inauguration."

She then provides an e-mail address for one of Schrader's aides.

Most lawmakers said they will set aside some tickets for family and friends and hold a lottery for the rest. At the same time, they're working to make sure people know the odds.

"Please note that we have already received substantially more requests than we will be able to fill," Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., warns on his Web site.

Like other members, he cautions the overly eager to beware of scams.

"Please note that all tickets are being distributed through members of the 111th Congress and will only be provided to members a few days before the inauguration. Any Web site or ticket broker claiming to have inauguration tickets for sale is not telling the truth."

The tickets distributed by members of Congress allow access to the tightly secured area closest to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol where Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath of office to Obama.

But beware, even if you get fantastically lucky and obtain a ticket, it doesn't guarantee a seat. Most of the area will be standing-room only.

For those who don't get an official ticket, there's still a chance to take part. Officials plan to open the National Mall for people without tickets; they can view the ceremony on gigantic TVs that will offer a live broadcast.

And everybody will be subjected to the weather, which historically has ranged from simply cold to bitterly frigid.

In addition to the inauguration itself, there will be a parade, which is free, and a series of elaborate balls, which are not.

Nothing else is free, either. In fact, it's more expensive. In an odd sort of housing boom, residents of the area are renting out spare bedrooms for exorbitant sums.

One house in Glen Burnie, Md., 43 miles from Washington, was listed for $1,000 a day during inauguration week. A family in the close-in suburb of Annandale, Va., was asking $500 a night for a bed in the basement at a location that is as close to Capitol Hill as Hillsboro is to Portland.

Strong legs are needed, too. On Tuesday, the managers of Washington's subway and bus system predicted long lines to get on packed trains. The network will be so overloaded on Inauguration Day, they said, anybody within two miles of a destination should walk.